Research at Indiana University

MEMORANDUM

TO: Indiana University Faculty

FROM: Bobby Schnabel, Interim Vice President for Research

SUBJECT: New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program: Guidelines and Request for Proposals

DEADLINES: October 16, 2009, except for Exploration Traveling Fellowship proposals (see below). Please note that there is only one deadline per year for proposals, except in the Exploration Traveling Fellowship competition (see #4 below).

The Office of the President is pleased to announce the first year of a new five-year cycle of the New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Program, a program of the Office of the Vice President for Research. The goal of this university wide program is to help Indiana University faculty members expand their creative and scholarly work into disciplinary or interdisciplinary frontiers that promise new insights into the human condition or pursue innovative directions in artistic creativity.

A yearly theme of broad and topical interest will provide intellectual focus for the program. The theme for 2009-10 is "The Environment and the Arts and Humanities." Proposals that address this theme are especially encouraged and will be given priority over proposals that do not. Successful proposals that fit the yearly theme may be publicized as a group in order to generate additional theme-related events and activities (for example, a tie-in to IUB's Arts Week).

All proposals will be reviewed by a committee of distinguished IU faculty members in the arts and humanities. Both individual and collaborative projects will be considered for funding; collaborative projects are especially encouraged. Priority will also be given to faculty members who have sought, or will be seeking, funding from external sources. In determining eligibility, the committee will take a broad view of the arts and humanities. That is, the key factor will be the nature of the creative activity or the central question posed by the research, not the departmental or division affiliation of the faculty member(s) submitting the proposal.

The committee recognizes that the division between the humanities and the social sciences is not rigid. If your proposal has social sciences content and you wonder how the committee will assess its eligibility, you might want to read the document at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/neh_definition.html. See also the statement "The Role of the Humanities" on the website of the College of Arts and Sciences Policy Committee (http://www.indiana.edu/~college/faculty/policy/collegepolicies/humanities2006.shtml ).

The New Frontiers Program’s goal is to enhance the research and creative activity of Indiana University faculty. Therefore, in addition to following the guidelines given below, proposals must focus on research or creative activity. Teaching components are not excluded, but they must serve the purpose of disseminating the scholarly activity that forms the core of the proposal. Projects whose primary goal is to improve teaching are not eligible for New Frontiers awards.

The New Frontiers Program has four components:

New Frontiers Grants ($600,000 allocated; grants up to $50,000): This component provides funds to assist in the development of innovative works of scholarship and creative activities in the arts and humanities. More classic works will be considered, but preferably where they are subject to new interpretations or embedded in contexts that highlight them in new ways. Proposal: complete the online application form at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/ including a project description (4 page maximum), budget and budget explanation, c.v.(s) of proposer(s) (3 page maximum); two letters of support due October 16, 2009.
New Directions Grants ($100,000 allocated; grants up to $50,000): This component is new. New Directions Grants will fund New Frontiers-type projects, but proposals must involve collaboration among faculty members from two or more schools, departments, institutes, or other units. At least one of the units should be in a field traditionally associated with the arts and humanities, and at least one should be in a field not traditionally associated with the arts and humanities. The New Directions component seeks to foster new partnerships, and the faculty members involved should not have a history of funded collaboration. (Interested faculty members who do have a history of funded collaboration should submit their proposals to the New Frontiers component.) Proposals that involve technology are especially encouraged. New Directions projects will have the potential to transform the boundaries of the arts and humanities at IU, but they will also have a high risk of failure. This combination is expected and accepted. If there are highly ranked New Directions proposals that the allocation will not cover, they will be considered for funding under the New Frontiers component. Proposal: complete the online application form at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/ including a project description (4 page maximum), budget and budget explanation, c.v.’s of proposers (3 page maximum); two letters of support due October 16, 2009.
New Perspectives Grants ($200,000 allocated; grants up to $20,000): This component provides funds for workshops, symposia, small conferences, roundtables, and master classes that offer new perspectives on, and new insights into, areas of scholarship and research in the arts and humanities. Proposal: complete the online application form at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/ including a project description (4 page maximum), budget and budget explanation, c.v.(s) of proposer(s) (3 page maximum); two letters of support due October 16, 2009.
Exploration Traveling Fellowship Grants ($100,000 allocated; grants up to $2,500): This component provides funds to help support national and international travel for scholars and researchers pursuing innovative projects in the arts and humanities. The grants will allow travel to museums, libraries, laboratories, art galleries, and cultural sites; travel and participation in conferences, workshops, symposia, and performances; and visits to collaborators. The travel needs to be "exploratory" in the sense of helping faculty members in the initial stages of new research projects or creative activities. Travel to conferences or other venues to present work that is already well advanced is not eligible for support. Proposal: complete the online application form at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/ including a project description (4 page maximum), budget and budget explanation, c.v. of proposer (3 page maximum), one letter of support. Proposals will be accepted at any time and reviewed by the committee six times per year, in the middle of the following months: August, October, December, February, April, and June.

Please note that the Visiting Visionary Scholars Grants, a feature of the program during its first five-year cycle, have been discontinued as a separate component. Proposals for extended visits to IU by internationally acclaimed visionary scholars and artists are still eligible for funding, but they should be submitted to the New Frontiers component.
General Guidelines for All Grant Proposals:

Tenured and tenure-eligible faculty members on all campuses of Indiana University are eligible to apply. On campuses that are jointly administered with Purdue, only Indiana University faculty members are eligible to submit proposals. With certain exceptions, non-tenure-track faculty members whose evaluation criteria include research or creative activity are also eligible with an explanation in the letter of support from their chair or dean. Visiting and adjunct faculty members and post-doctoral fellows are not eligible. Emeritus faculty members who are still active in research or creative activity are eligible, but there may be some budgetary restrictions. Please contact this office for advice. Previous recipients of New Frontiers grants who have filed their required reports are eligible to apply. The review committee, however, will give preference to applicants who have not received awards recently. For further information on eligibility click on "Frequently Asked Questions" on this page: http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/index.html.
Faculty members who have not submitted proposals to the program in the past and who are looking for advice on what makes a good proposal can find a selection of sample proposals that were funded in the past at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/samples/.
Please do not exceed the page limits for project descriptions and c.v.'s. If you do, your proposal will not be reviewed.
A new procedure for submitting proposals electronically was implemented in fall 2008. Please see instructions at http://www.research.indiana.edu/funding/newfron/. The online application form will be available to begin accepting applications for New Frontiers programs on September 1.
Project descriptions should be concise and to the point. Again, do not exceed the page limits. Project descriptions should indicate the overall arts or humanities focus of the project, state the significance clearly, identify the innovative aspects, and specify the time span and completion date. The description should also include a plan for evaluating the project's success. Proposals for research projects should indicate the methods to be used. All proposals, whether for research or creative activity, should identify the projected results (publications, performances, exhibitions, symposia, etc.).
If relevant, the proposal should discuss the possibility of attracting external research funding or similar funding to sustain or extend the project's activities in the future.
The budget should list all projected expenditures that will be charged to the New Frontiers award. Any item whose purpose or cost computation is not self-evident should be discussed in a separate budget explanation.
Budget requests cannot exceed the program limits stated above. If the grant will not cover the entire cost of your project and you have or are applying for support from other sources, you should discuss them in your budget explanation. Please do NOT include expenses to be covered by other sources in the budget form itself or in the “Budget Total” box on the front page. If you do, your proposal will be returned to you, and your budget will need to be revised before your proposal can be considered.
Please note that the New Frontiers Program does provide support for course release. The maximum allowable amount is $11,000. It is expected that the normal figures for applicants' campuses or schools will prevail if they are lower than the maximum. The computation of course release requests should be discussed in the Budget Explanation and approved by the department chair and the dean of the school. Applicants from the College of Arts and Sciences on the Bloomington Campus should consult Frequently Asked Questions for specific instructions.
All proposals must include up-to-date brief curriculum vitae (3 pages maximum). Again, exceeding this limit will cause the proposal to be returned without review.
All proposals require a letter of support from the head of the applicant's department, division, center, or institute. Applicants from schools that do not have departments, as well as applicants who are the heads of their units, should request a letter from the appropriate dean or equivalent. The letter of support form is available on the web at http://research.iu.edu/funding/newfron/.
Applicants for New Frontiers, New Directions, and New Perspectives Grants should also request a letter of support from an expert in the field, not necessarily from Indiana University, assessing the significance of the project and (for New Frontiers and New Perspectives proposals) the likelihood of its success.

Each successful applicant will be required to submit a progress report twelve months after the funds are awarded. A final report is required within three months of the project's completion. Funds received need to be spent within 18 months, and if not, a no-cost extension is possible if requested. In the event that funds are not expended after 24 months, the remaining balance will be eliminated and the account closed.

Also, all awards are subject to Indiana University's intellectual property guidelines. Please see http://www.research.indiana.edu/rschcomp/intellect.html for details of the policy.
If you have a question, please check the FAQ page first. If your question isn't answered there, contact:

Geoffrey W. Conrad
Associate Vice Provost for Research
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
Indiana University
Carmichael Center 202
Bloomington, IN 47405
phone: (812) 855-8913
e-mail: newfron@indiana.edu